


Winter Days

by sedna_mode



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Gen, Nyotalia, Originally Posted on Tumblr, ned and can are children here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-12
Updated: 2015-08-12
Packaged: 2018-04-14 06:26:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4554210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sedna_mode/pseuds/sedna_mode
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a bright, cold, January afternoon the day the new people moved into the house next door.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Days

**Author's Note:**

> A friend on Tumblr once asked me for some nedcan with the prompt “in the snow” and I immediately pictured little Maddie eagerly showing newly-immigrated Will all the awesome things you can do with snow, like angels! forts! snowmen!   
> And this was the result ^.^

It was a bright, cold, January afternoon the day the new people moved into the house next door. Ten year-old Madeline was playing in the snow in her front yard when the big moving truck came down the street, and when it stopped in front of her house she ran inside yelling in excitement.

“Mummy Mummy Mummy there’s a big truck outside!”

Alice was lying on her back on the kitchen floor, half hidden under the sink as she fiddled with something Madeline couldn’t see. When she spoke her voice was muffled and strained with effort.

“Is that so? Well—haa got it!—our new neighbours must have arrived.”

“New neighbours?” Madeline eyed the truck dubiously. “Oh! But will I still be able to play on their lawn?”

Alice chuckled and slid out from under the sink, clutching a wad of fur and goop in her rubber glove.

“I’m afraid if you want to play there you’ll have to get permission from them. And next time you get chewing gum stuck in the cat’s fur, please don’t cut it out and try to wash it down the drain to hide your tracks. The rubbish bin would have been a better choice.”

“I didn’t want you to find out!”

“Honey, I would have found out anyway. There’s a huge patch of fur missing from Iggy’s back.”

Properly chastised, Madeline cast her eyes down.

“I’m sorry Mum,” she mumbled, “I won’t do it again.”

“Good. Now let’s give those people some time to get settled and we’ll go say hello to them tomorrow morning with Maman.”

~

“I still think the macarons are a little over the top,” Alice grumbled, scowling at the container held firmly between Francine’s elegant fingers.

“Non mais vraiment! It’s a nice thing to do, chérie. We want these people to feel welcome, non?”

Francine reached out to ring the doorbell, and the little family stood waiting on the step, huddling in the cold. Madeline, who had bounded up to the door excitedly, was now hiding behind her mothers, suddenly shy.

The door was opened to reveal a lady who—in Madeline’s humble opinion—would have looked right at home on the back of one of those huge warhorses she saw in her mother’s history books, leading an army in battle. Madeline gasped and squeezed in close to Alice’s legs.

“Yes?” Asked the lady, eyeing the three of them with a stern eye.

Alice cleared her throat and introduced them.

“Hello! We live next door. I’m Alice, this is my wife Francine, and there’s our daughter Madeline. She’s a little shy.”

The lady looked between the two women but didn’t say anything, and then she turned her attention to Madeline who was peering out from behind her mother’s leg. Her face softened and she smiled gently down at her (which made her look much less intimidating) before turning back to what Francine was saying.

“We wanted to come over and welcome you to the neighbourhood, and see whether you’re settling in ok!”

“Oh, that is very thoughtful of you.” The lady’s English was heavily accented and her voice was rich. “I’m Anke, would you like to come inside for a moment? I can put on some coffee. Or perhaps tea?”

Madeline stopped paying attention to what the adults were saying after that. She got to work removing her coat and hat and mitts, sighing a little at the prospect of sitting quietly for the next hour while the adults made small talk. How boring…

“Madeline?” Her attention snapped back when she heard Francine call her name. “Did you hear what Madame de Vries said?”

“Oh please, call me Anke.”

Belatedly Madeline realized they were all looking at her. Anke knelt down to pick up her fallen mittens and hand them back to her.

“I was just saying maybe you would prefer to go play? I’m sure my son would love to go outside with you.”

Madeline’s eyes widened and she nodded eagerly before taking her mitts back and pulling them on.

“You have a son?” Asked Alice.

“Yes, Willem. He’s been upstairs organizing his things in his new room.” She turned and yelled a string of words Madeline couldn’t understand up the stairs.

There was a thump from somewhere upstairs, and then the sound of footsteps approaching. A boy who looked to be roughly Madeline’s age came running down the stairs and stopped when he saw the strangers in his front hall. His face smoothed into a blank expression and he walked down the rest of the steps to stand next to his mother, putting him face to face with Madeline.

They scrutinized each other for a few moments before Anke tapped him on the shoulder and whispered more words Madeline couldn’t understand. He looked up at the people gathered around and introduced himself in careful English.

“Hello, my name is Willem. Nice to meet you.”

Francine and Alice smiled at him and introduced themselves in return. Madeline kept staring.

“I’m Madeline,” she blurted suddenly, “d’you wanna play?”

There was a beat of silence and then the adults were smiling at each other and trying to hold back laughter and Willem was frowning at her and Madeline felt her ears heat up. Her gaze drifted towards the floor, but before she could get too mortified over her outburst Willem moved to the closet to get his snow pants and coat.

“I’d like that.”

Madeline’s grin nearly split her face.

**Author's Note:**

> Reposted from my Tumblr @sednamode


End file.
